BREAKING NEWS

BREAKING NEWS

Agreement renewed

The Brennan Consulting Group LLC will be providing services to the Chadwick Bay Regional Development Corporation for the next year. Kathy Tampio, executive director of CBRDC, reported the renewal which was decided in executive session near the end of the recent meeting.

According to Tampio, “We (CBRDC) have contracted with Brennan Group Consulting since April, 2012. That was for a one-year contract for financial consulting services related to the regional water system implementation plan. We renewed the contract for another one-year term, commencing April 1, 2013. The contract is in the amount of $50,000 to be paid in monthly increments. This cost is an eligible cost to be reimbursed at 50 percent from the grant funds received from the Appalachian Regional Commission grant.

Brennan had given his report earlier in the meeting. He reported about the submission of the LGE (Local Government Efficiency) grant application to the Department of State; exploration of program called “Cleaner, Greener Communities;” Nestle Purina in Dunkirk contributing $15,000 to Chadwick Bay; and his discussion with George Bassett, the deputy secretary of state (New York State) concerning the LWRP (Local Water Revitalization Plan) monies.

Concerning the LGE grant application Brennan said, “I hand-delivered the LGE grant application to the Department of State (March 13). I have a receipt in my file back in my office, at 10:26 a.m. We completed it Monday evening, probably really close to being able to simply overnight the package. But Jeff and I didn’t want to take a chance, so on Tuesday I picked it up at his LeRoy office and yesterday morning ran down to Albany with it. … It’s in. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed and hopefully by this fall we will hear from the governor’s office when he announces that award.”

Tampio noted that there were letters of support from SUNY Fredonia, Lake Erie Health, Nestle Purina, Kathy Young and Andy Goodell, Greg Edwards, Chautauqua County IDA, Chautauqua County Planning Department, Chautauqua County Department of Health, and a few others.

“We have a lot of support from all the agencies around this county and our elected representatives,” she said.

Concerning the “Cleaner Greener Communities” monies, Brennan said, “Jeff Smith, Kathy (Tampio) and I met with Ginger Malak with Southern Tier West. She discussed in that meeting a new initiative, another pot of money if you will, administered by NYSERDA in Albany. … Those monies are provided by New York State participating in the carbon credit auction energy program, part of the REGI program (Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.) We put in a couple of follow-up meetings after Ginger Malak introduced this project to the contractor for NYSERDA. … I followed up with NYSERDA. The program person who is actually in charge of this is a woman by the name of Lindsey Robbins who works in the New York City Office. I received an email back yesterday saying that this program will be administered through the CFA process, which a lot of state funding is being administered through this process. She anticipates an RFP being put out this spring or early summer, consistent with the rest of the economic development type programs.”

Concerning Nestle Purina’s $15,000 contribution, Brennan said, “I want to acknowledge that finally there has been good news to report with regard to our private sector partner meetings. Nestle Purina (Ron Bowers) indicated to Greg Edwards that he will be able to write a check to the Chadwick Bay Development Corporation for the $15,000 we requested. … Greg was very excited and feels he can use that as other information to provide to other partners.”

Next Brennan and Jay Warren, the chairman of the Northern Chautauqua County Local Development Committee, discussed Warren’s discovery that some LWRP monies had been awarded for projects to fund infrastructure projects. Warren had emailed the information to members of the CBRDC.

Brennan said, “Just dumb luck, I’ll admit it. I was there yesterday at the Department of State and I happened to see a gentleman that I worked with during the Pataki administration, George Bassett, who is the deputy secretary of state. One of his many duties is (working with) the Coastal Resource Program which LWRP is part of. I had 10 or 15 minutes in his office. Jay, I literally pulled out my Blackberry and read your message to him and I said, ‘Hey George, is there a funding opportunity here?’ He was not that encouraging. He said, ‘Yeah, we have used the grant in the past to fund a couple infrastructure projects.’ but he encouraged the LGE. … We have a good point of contact within the Department of State; he’s the guy in charge.”

Brennan then promised to follow up with Bassett concerning whether grant recipients already have a plan in place.

The next meeting of the CBRDC will be held April 11 at 5:30 p.m. at Shorewood Country Club. Meetings are open to the public.